The Future Date of Dreams
by Slushipping
Summary: The school dance is creeping right around the corner, but Butters doesn't have a date! Everyone has shut him down, except for one little "nobody"... Bunny friendship, Buren fluff.


**So... this "I'm going to ask so-and-so to the dance!" is becoming a thing now. xD Just an excuse to write some Buren fluff. ^^**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own South Park! It rightfully belongs to Trey & Matt.**_

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><p><span>The Future Date of Dreams<span>

"I just don't know what to do," Butters sighed, placing his chin into the palms of his hands. "I mean, Stan's eventually going to ask Wendy at the last minute, Kyle has been sending Annie Faulk little secret admirer letters, Eric and Patty are possibly gonna dance together and... you're texting that Emily Anderson girl from across the street, aren't you?"

A muffled "Uh-huh" came from the boy who was engaged with the screen of his mobile device. They were sitting together side-by-side on Kenny's front porch after school on a Wednesday afternoon, figuring out just who could Butters take to the upcoming dance on Friday night. He asked out every girl who he could ever think of, but at the end of the day, he was right back at square one. Bebe, Heidi, Red, Lola, Sally, Jenny… one after one had rejected him.

"… Huh," said Butters, as if a lightbulb appeared over his head. "Maybe I could ask Henrietta Biggle! You think I'd have a chance with her, Ken?"

Kenny effortlessly held back his laughter. "Henri? I'm sorry buddy, but your chances with her? Very… very slim." He looked at the boy, furrowing an eyebrow in curiosity. "You know you don't need a date to the dance, right? You can be single and still attend."

"Oh, I know," said Butters, bumping his knuckles. "But my parents will ground me if I don't have a date. They want pictures for the family scrapbook!"

Kenny smacked the top of his head and rolled his eyes. If there was a pair of parents that was worse than his, it had to be Stephen and Linda Stotch. Their punishments were enough to drive a kid insane and Kenny often worried that Butters was close to being shattered by them. As that topic drifted out of the way, they watched Karen McCormick, Kenny's little sister, play in the snowy yard with her handcrafted Pop-Tart Tower and princess doll. To Kenny's luck, it wasn't difficult to keep Karen bored in such a poor household. She found plenty of things to do and how to entertain herself, including her brother and his friends.

A ding brought Kenny and Butters' out of their concentration on Karen. Kenny picked up his phone from the cracked concrete and sought out the latest text message. A moment passed and he was jumping all over the yard with "woohoos" and "yeah-ha-has". Butters grinned and Karen scrambled out of the snow and raced towards her big brother. She began to jump around him and soon, Butters joined in.

"What're we jumping for?" Karen hollered to Butters.

"I don't know!" he shouted. "But whatever it is, Kenny must be really happy! She must of said yes!"

Karen stopped jumping and gave Butters an odd look. "What? Who is she? Why did she say yes? Yes to what?"

"I guess that Kenny asked Emily Anderson to the dance, and she said yes," replied Butters, who was almost out of breath. He sat back down on the porch and watched Karen return to her playtime routine.

"That's wonderful!" said Karen, fixing a box that helped make up her tower. "I'm really happy for Kenny. Emily visits from time to time and babysits me. She's so much fun to be around! She even gave me her old pair of heart pajamas because we're too poor to afford anything new. I hope that she and Kenny have a good time… they seem to go well together."

Butters blinked. "Huh? Aren't you going to the dance, Karen?"

The littlest McCormick shook her head sadly. "No, I'm not. No one has asked me yet, plus I don't have anything fancy enough to wear… I'm afraid that if I walk in, people may make fun of me."

"… Oh, Karen… gosh…"

Butters rose from the porch and walked towards her. He knelt down in the snow and pulled the little girl into a sympathetic hug, just enough for to comfort her. Karen's eyes grew the size of expensive dinner plates. She… she was earning a hug from Butters Stotch? The boy who made her tummy have butterflies? Her tiny heart was beating with eternal happiness. Was this a dream or was this real? Whether it was real or not, she decided to enjoy the moment and lean her face into his turquoise shirt, taking in his scent.

"Karen… um… w-would you like to go with me?"

That's when Karen felt her heart skyrocketing through her chest. Her cheeks were noticeably a dark shade of red now.

"R… really? Me? G-go with you? As your date? To the dance?" she asked, in a daze.

Butters nodded; he had an elated smile on his face. "Really, really. I could probably find ya something to wear!"

She embraced him tightly and snuggled her face into his chest. She couldn't believe this was really happening! To go with the boy of her dreams to a dance... how romantic it was going to be!

"Oh Butters! I would love to go with you," said Karen excitedly. "Thank you!"

"Aww, you're welcome!" said Butters. "Thank you for saying yes!"

Kenny was still dancing around, bouncing up and down… but when he saw Butters and Karen hugging out in the yard, discussing plans—his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Did I miss something?" he asked.

"Butters is taking me to the dance, Kenny!" Karen beamed, looking over Butters' shoulder. "And he's going to find me something to wear!"

Underneath the parka, Kenny's mouth dropped in disbelief.

"Whoa. Wait. _What_?!"


End file.
